ANIMAL KINGDOM. Spiders and Insects. SPIDER-LIKE ANIMALS.-Spider-like animals compose the third class. Like the crust-covered animals, they have jointed limbs, no wings, and shed their skins at certain times; but they breathe air instead of water. The eyes are simple, sometimes numerous, and variously grouped. The head has no antennæ or feelers, and is united to the chest in one segment. Most of the spiderlike animals feed on insects, the juices of which they suck. This class is divided into two orders, lung breathers and air-pipe breathers. The first order have air-bags, which answer the purpose of lungs, placed in the belly, having from one to four small openings on each side. They have from six to eight eyes, always eight legs, and the heart and blood-vessels are well developed. Spiders, properly so called, and scorpions, belong to this order. Spiders are furnished with two sharp-pointed instruments, having a small opening near the point, that allows a passage for a venomous fluid, contained in a gland of the preceding joint. They have never more than two jaws, properly so called; the legs are alike in form, but not in length, and are terminated by two hooks, sometimes toothed. The eyes shine in darkness like those of a cat, and it is probable that they can see well in the night. Some weave silken tubes, in which they live, and which they conceal in the bark of trees, or under stones. Others 1 excavate 'subterraneous galleries, at the mouth of which they construct a lid or valve, and fasten it to one side by a beautiful hinge-like joint; and they always have the hinge higher than any other part of the mouth, in order that the lid may close of itself when the spider retreats within. They line the interior with silk. Scorpions have a long body, terminated by a slender six-jointed tail, armed with a sting. Mites belong to the second order. INSECTS.-Insects, which compose the fourth and last class of jointed animals, are exceedingly numerous, active, and intelligent. Most of them undergo three very curious and instructive changes. From the egg of the parent insect, a worm, grub, or caterpillar is produced, having numerous rings and legs. After the lapse of a certain time the caterpillar gradually becomes torpid, short, and hard, and at last loses all appearance of life and limbs; it is now called a chrysalis. After continuing in this state for a period, the skin splits on the back, and the perfect insect, soft and moist, comes forth, having the head, trunk, and belly distinct, and in many instances almost completely separated. In a few moments the insect becomes dry; the wings (which with the six legs are always attached to the trunk) expand, and are ready for flight. This class is divided into twelve orders: 1. Manyfooted insects, or 'centipedes, the feet and rings of which increase in number with age. 2. Spring-tails, having peculiar organs of locomotion on or near the tail. 3. Parasitical insects, or lice, from which few of the large animals are free. 4. Sucking insects, as the flea. These four orders are destitute of wings, and undergo no change after leaving the egg. 5. Sheath-winged insects, or beetles. 6. Straight-winged insects, as earwigs, cockroaches, and grasshoppers, the wings of which, when flying, stand straight out from the body. 7. Half-winged insects, as the bug, plant-lice, and the lantern-fly. 8. Nerve-winged insects, as the dragon-fly. 9. Membrane-winged insects, the females of which have an egg-depositor or sting, as the bee. 10. Scaly-winged insects, as the butterfly. 11. Twisted-winged insects. 12. Two-winged insects, as mosquitoes, crane-flies, horse-flies, and house-flies. 1. Vide Root. 2. See page 17, notes, third sub-kingdom. 2 EGYPT. THE history of Egypt is very obscure during a considerable time. From the year 2084 to the year 1825 before the Christian era, it was governed by rulers who led the lives of shepherds, and were therefore called shepherd kings. 3 The most renowned monarch that ever reigned over Egypt was Sesostris. The date of his reign is not precisely known, but there is a carving in stone, lately found in Egypt among the ruins of an ancient city, which is more than three thousand years old, and supposed to be a portrait of him. This king formed the design of conquering the world, and set out from Egypt with more than half a million of foot soldiers, twenty-four thousand horsemen, and twentyseven thousand armed chariots. His ambitious projects were partially successful. He made great conquests, and wherever he went he caused marble pillars to be erected, and inscriptions to be engraved on them, so that future ages might not forget his renown. The following was the inscription on most of the pillars:-SESOSTRIS, KING OF KINGS, HAS CONQUERED THIS TERRITORY BY HIS ARMS. But the marble pillars have long ago crumbled into dust, or been buried under the earth; and the history of Sesostris is so obscure, that some writers have even doubted whether he ever made any conquests at all. The ancient history of Egypt is so imperfect, and yet so full of wonderful tales, that we might doubt it altogether, were it not for the vast ruins and stupendous monuments 1. Vide Root. Land of Mizraim. Moses, 1500 B.C. 2. Called in Scripture, Land of Ham, Psalm cv. 23, 27, and 3. Sometimes supposed to be the Pharaoh of the time of 4. Its most celebrated remains are the pyramids, obelisks, labyrinth, and Lake Moris,-ruins of immense temples, and mummies. still to be found in different parts of the country. These show that many ages since, this country was filled with millions of people, and that there were cities here of the most wonderful 'magnificence. Thebes appears to have been more magnificent than any other city, either in ancient or modern times. It was called 'the city of a hundred gates;' and such was the 'immense population, that through each of these gates, in time of war, marched two hundred armed chariots, and two thousand soldiers. Cambyses, son and successor of Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Egypt 541 years B.C., and it remained subject to Persia till the time of Alexander the Great. The present capital of Egypt is Grand Cairo. It is much inferior to what it was in former times, but still contains about three hundred thousand inhabitants. Alexandria, built by Alexander the Great, is now much 'reduced, but the ruins around it show that it was once a splendid city. The sovereignty of Egypt has passed 'successively through the hands of its native princes,-the Greeks, Romans, Saracens, and Turks. It was 'invaded by the French under Buonaparte, in 1798; but in 1801, the country 'submitted to the British, and at the peace of Amiens it was restored to the Ottoman Porte. The Turks have governed it by princes called Pachas. Mehemet Ali has of late years rendered himself nearly independent of the Sultan. GEOGRAPHICAL.-Area 150,000 square miles. Population 2,500,000. Write the names of its principal cities, and describe their situation? Where is the source of the Nile ?-Tracing it from its source, write the names of the towns on its banks. What are the latitude and longitude of Cairo? and when it is noon at Cairo, at what places is it 6 o'clock in the morning and 6 o'clock in the evening? ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY. On the Muscles of the Human Frame, In the last lesson the skeleton was built up ready for motion. But a bone cannot of itself move; muscles and tendons are the organs of motion. Muscle is flesh,-in animals, it is of a red colour; in fishes and fowls, of a white or pale colour. Muscle is elastic; it 'contracts and it lengthens, something like a worm when in motion. The 'tendon is merely like a piece of strong cord fastened to the end of the muscle, and to the part requiring to be moved. Its use is to convey the power without the enormous bulk which would result if the muscle were itself fastened to the part. For instance, a heavy body requires to be moved; if people were to put their hands to it, they would be in one another's way; the better way is to tie a rope round it, and let it be pulled by that. The strength of the people here represents the pulling power of the muscle, the rope is the tendon. Bend the thumb backwards of itself, the tendons may be seen toward the wrist, like strong cords; the muscles belonging to these tendons form part of the flesh of the 'arm. Boys sometimes pull the white cords in fowls' feet to make the claws move these cords are tendons. The muscle by which they are moved in the living animal is the flesh of the leg. Every muscle in the body is a separate piece of flesh, and may move without disturbing its neighbours; but, generally, the movements of the body require the power of many muscles at once, The muscles, as well as the bones, have names given to them by anatomists. The eye has muscles, whose duty |